Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Pudding cakes are, as the name implies, cake and pudding together. But you don't make the cake and the pudding separately and then combine the two. No, you actually make one batter and, through the magic of science, the batter separates as it bakes and you get two distinct layers in one cup: cake on top with pudding on the bottom. It's like a self-saucing cake! I'm not entirely sure how it works but I think it has something to do with the water bath.

And by the way, never bake when you're in a rush. I was in a bit of a rush so I didn't let my cakes get golden on top. They were still done, but just not golden brown done. So they look a bit anemic. Also, my pudding layer ended up being a little bit runnier than a pudding, custard or curd should be. I'm not sure if baking it a couple minutes longer would have firmed up the pudding layer. But even with these minor issues, the pudding cakes still tasted really good.

Using a mixer or a wooden spoon, cream butter and sugar until mixture is light and fluffy. Mix in lemon zest and egg yolks until mixture is smooth. Mix in flour and baking powder. Add lemon juice and milk and mix until mixture is smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form. (Make sure your bowl and whisk are clean or the egg whites may not reach full volume.) Gently fold beaten egg whites into the lemon mixture.

Divide the batter evenly among the ramekins. Place ramekins in a 9x13 inch pan and fill the pan with enough warm water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake at 350F for 23-27 minutes until slightly golden on top. The top should spring back when lightly touched but leave a slight indentation. Carefully remove the ramekins from the water and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving.

31 comments:

Wow that looks sooo yummy, I don't think it is anemic it is delicate.I want to try this recipe, but as there are lots of passion fruits in my backyard, Do you think it is possible to use passion fruit instead of lemon?

These are awesome! I made and posted about one a couple months ago, but before I cooked it I had no idea that it would separate like that. I had just been browsing a cookbook and saw a recipe for lemon pudding cake and thought it sounded cool... and when it came out of the oven it seemed like magic :)

I've made lots of pudding cakes especially since I love the custard underneath. I've flavoured them with oranges or lemons. It would look less anemic if you'd left in the oven a few more minutes or until golden brown and the custard would be less runny and more solid. It would resemble what you'd call 'custard'.

Yes the magic also happened in my kitchen, I did it with passion fruit juice insted of lemon juice, it is sooooo delicious and scented. Thank you Mary for sharing your recipes I learnt something new today :)

Mary- It looks great! I have made them for years and they always come out about like that..SOmetimes I dust them with some confectoners to make them less anemic..but they are not often darker than that that i have seen.

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The alpine strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is a cousin of the wild strawberry. It's sometimes simply referred to as alpineberry. I love to bake, cook and garden. My blog is a place to share my recipes and other tiny tidbits of my life.